No. 5 Engineers Defeat Elms, 3-1

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The nationally-ranked No. 5 MIT men's volleyball team extended its winning streak to five following a 25-14, 25-17, 19-25, 25-13 victory over Elms College on Wednesday night. Sophomore Ken Siebert (St. Louis, Mo.) powered the Engineers with eight kills, six aces, and six digs.

MIT built an 8-4 lead in the first set, but the Blazers scored four of the next five points to come within one (9-8). A strike by junior Matt Hohenberger (St. Louis, Mo.) stopped the rally and sparked a 10-2 run which featured another kill and three straight aces by Hohenberger. Miscues trimmed the margin to six (19-13); however, the Engineers closed out the game with a 6-1 spurt.

In the second stanza, MIT raced out to a 9-2 advantage that later grew to 21-9. Both squads traded points as a hitting error gave the visitors set point at 24-13. A trio of errors in addition to a kill kept the Blazers alive, but freshman Tyler Nolan's (Sayville, N.Y.) block ended the set.

With the third set tied at six, the Cardinal and Gray generated a 6-2 spurt to gain some breathing room. Elms responded with a 10-3 run that resulted in an 18-15 lead. MIT narrowed the gap to one (19-18), but the Blazers won the frame by scoring six of the final seven points.

The Engineers established a 4-1 edge in the fourth set; however, Elms posted the next two points. This was as close as it would get as MIT replied with a 17-7 run which created a 21-10 advantage. An exchange of points ensued until a Siebert kill gave the Engineers match point. Siebert then followed with an ace to clinch the victory.